1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pressure cooker which has a pot with a base and a side wall and an upper rim, having a lid which can be connected to the pot in a sealed manner along the abovementioned upper rim, and having a locking device which, in the presence of a predetermined positive pressure, connects the lid to the pot in a non-releasable manner in conjunction with a pressure element arranged on the lid.
2. Background Art
Pressure cookers of this type have been known for a long time now. The pressure in the interior of the pressure cooker can be increased by the base of the pot being heated, so that the cooking process is accelerated. The lid is usually connected to the pot by means of the bayonet connection. The lid can be released from the pot by being pivoted. The locking device prevents the situation where the lid can be rotated, and thus released from the pot, in the presence of a significant positive pressure. The prior art has disclosed numerous such locking devices. These have, on the lid, a pressure element which, for example in the presence of a positive pressure, has a projecting stub or pin which interacts with a displaceable catch for locking purposes.
A pressure cooker of the type mentioned is disclosed, for example, in EP 0 123 197 A. This pressure cooker has, in a lid handle, a locking closure designed as a snap-fitting closure. The locking closure is intended to prevent the lid from being rotated unintentionally in relation to the pot. The lid handle here is connected to the lid in a releasable manner.
DE 27 05 712 A discloses a lid-locking and pressure-relief means on a steam pressure cooker. Locking takes place by way of a protuberance which, for unlocking purposes, can be displaced by way of an actuating knob which projects on the top side of a lid handle. During unlocking, a valve is opened at the same time and pressure is thus dissipated.
DE 203 18 647 U relates to a (steam) pressure cooker. The latter has two locking means, which means that production involves comparatively high outlay.